Learning through Exploration: Meeting the Diverse Needs of our Learners

Learning through Exploration: Meeting the Diverse Needs of our Learners

Our Journey

Our students come from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds; many of whom are English Language Learners and have special needs. We were inspired by the Reggio idea of the Hundred Languages of the Child. We knew that a teacher-directed approach would not meet the needs of our learners. Our goal was to provide our students with a daily opportunity to explore a variety of materials so that they could construct and build their learning and develop a sense of wonder and curiosity about their world. This Exploration time would allow our diverse learners to communicate their learning in different ways.

We learned that this approach led to

Higher student engagement

Personalized learning

Cross-curricular connections

This experience has made us look at ways to create flexibility in our timetable so that students have more time to engage in inquiry-based learning.

Team

Karen Chow

Norma Rose Point Elementary

Sharon Lowe

Norma Rose Point Elementary

Karen MacKinnon

Norma Rose Point Elementary

Mary McConville

Norma Rose Point Elementary

The Vancouver Reggio Association (VRA) is a non-profit society formed by a group of Vancouver area Early Childhood Educators, Elementary Teachers, Childcare Providers, University and College Professors, and parents.